The Pretend Friend Ch. 10

It had been five days since Charlotte left, and she hadn't texted me as she said she would.

I didn't text her either. The pain was still too fresh, and thinking about it each time sent me on a spiral.

To distract myself, I picked up more hours at the theater whenever I could. Noah had started school again, and I put the rest of my focus on him. It was a busy first week of school, and orientation was such a chaotic day that I didn't have time to think about Charlotte at all.

Laura still hadn't returned from New York, so I haven't met up with the girls to practice at all. They kept inviting me out or talking about coming over, but I kept pushing them off. I didn't want to give myself a chance to unwind or breathe because if I did... all of my thoughts would drift back to her, and the hurt would begin all over again.

That was harder to prevent on nights where I wasn't tired enough to instantly fall asleep. I spent those nights writing. My notebook was filled with lyrics that I didn't dare read over after writing them. I couldn't face them.

Then, it was on this fifth day that Charlotte finally texted me. I was working on the schedule with Katie when my phone vibrated, and I glanced over to see Charlotte's name on the screen. My heart jumped, but I didn't read the message. As Katie called my attention back to the schedule, I pushed thoughts of the text message to the back of my mind.

The day grew busier, and then it was easy to forget. I would have forgotten entirely for the rest of the day if only Charlotte didn't call me as soon as I stepped out of the theater.

I stared down at my phone as it vibrated in my hand. Her name stared back at me, waiting, expecting. My stomach twisted tighter and tighter, and I hated that she had this much of an effect on me.

Her name disappeared, and the screen went dark again. Exhaling, I shoved the phone in my pocket and went home.

-------------

After dinner, Noah sat at the dining table to finish the rest of his math homework while I washed the dishes. Nox laid at his feet, head resting on his front two paws as he slept. Once in a while, Noah reached down to pet him, and Nox would lick him each time.

After finishing the dishes, I had begun to wipe down the counters when there was a knock on the door. Noah looked up at me, and I signaled him to stay put. He grabbed Nox's collar to keep him there, and I moved towards the front door, grabbing the bat on the way.

"Who is it?" I asked through the door. As far as I knew, I wasn't expecting anyone.

"It's me," Charlotte responded, and my body froze.

I stared at the door, wondering if I was imagining everything. Did I miss her so much that my mind was starting to conjure her up to fill in those missing spaces?

"It's Charlotte," she added after a while.

As if I couldn't tell that it was her from her voice. As if five days apart would make me forget it. Hearing her voice alone was enough to make my skin tingle.

Fingers numb, I set the bat aside and unlocked the door.

Sure enough, Charlotte was there on the other side. Dressed in a plain sweater and leggings, she was in the middle of pacing and stopped mid-step when the door opened. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and she turned to face me fully.

Charlotte opened her mouth, but I spoke before she could. "Have you eaten?"

She stared at me, lips parted with no response.

"There's still some leftover salmon. I can reheat it for you," I offered, keeping my tone cool and casual.

Then I saw her swallow, and she nodded. "That'd be great. Thanks."

I widened the door for her to enter, and she glanced down at the bat as she crossed.

"We had a break in a couple years ago," I explained curtly as I led her down the hall and into the kitchen.

"What? Did they --"

"Charlotte!" Noah exclaimed. His grip on Nox loosened, and the Labrador limped towards Charlotte, who dropped to one knee to pet him.

"Hey, Noah," she greeted tentatively, and I felt her glance over at me.

Not meeting her gaze, I went to the fridge to pull out the salmon I had packed earlier. As Noah caught her up on his first week at school, I worked to reheat the food on the stovetop, hoping to distract myself enough from the discomfort in my chest.

I was nearly done when their voices dropped to low murmurs, and I looked up to see their faces huddled together. A moment later, Noah picked up his homework and left, Nox following him close behind. I immediately dropped my attention back to the food and plated it.

Then I turned to the sink. "Food's d--"

Charlotte's presence landed behind me, and I almost leaned into her warmth.

Almost.

I stopped myself from doing so by gripping the sink and steadying myself against it.

"Can we talk?" she murmured, her breath so close to my ear.

My eyes began to flutter shut, but I forced them open again and slid away from her.

"Your dinner is ready," was all I said. I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in my path.

"I'm sorry," she rushed to say. "What I said to you, it was wrong. I was just --"

"Okay."

She let out a breath. "What?"

"I said okay."

Charlotte stepped forward, but I still refused to look at her. It took everything in me to not break down in front of her right now.

"Jess, what does that even mean?" she exasperated softly.

"It means everything's okay," I answered too tightly. The tears were pushing against my eyes no matter how much I tried to push them back.

"It's not. I know it's not because you can't even look at me right now."

I wanted to prove her wrong, but she was right. I couldn't look at her because I knew that if I did, I would fall apart.

Five days. She was gone for five days, and each day apart, the pain grew worse and worse. My feelings for her were deeper than I thought. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pick myself back up if we started back up only for her to inevitably end things between us.

"I broke my promise and hurt you. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do, and when I saw the look on your face --" Charlotte's voice broke, and my eyes snapped up. Tears glimmered in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. My heart hammered, but I didn't move. Charlotte let out a slow breath before continuing, "You're important to me, Jess."

Stepping forward, she reached for my face.

Her fingers barely grazed my cheeks before I stepped back, and a rush of hurt and anger surged through me.

"But not more important than your other responsibilities, right?" I snapped, and her face crumpled. I didn't let it deter me. "I get it. You have a life outside of me, and I have one outside of you too. I never asked you to prioritize me. I didn't ask for anything more."

"Jess --"

"I'm sorry if I'm too much for you to deal with." My tears betrayed me and slid down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away. "Trust me, the last thing I ever wanted was for me to be a burden to you."

"Fuck," Charlotte cursed softly, and then she closed the gap between us before I could escape again. Her arms wrapped around me tightly, and I stiffened. Charlotte's breath filled my ears. "You've never been a burden to me, Jess, and you are not too much. I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

"So then why did you say all of that?" I asked tightly. "Why did it take you five days to reach out again?"

"I was stupid," she immediately answered. "I heard you tell Robert that there was nothing in your past worth talking about, and I was hurt and angry. All I could think about was how you left and forgot all about me, but I talked to Maeve and --"

"You talked to Maeve?"

Charlotte slowly pulled away.

"I didn't tell her you were here." She chewed on her lip and dropped her gaze. "But I brought you up, and she told me that you had dealt with so much growing up, things that she and I would never be able to understand. She scolded me."

"She scolded you for..."

Charlotte rubbed her teary eyes. "For being angry at you for leaving."

I turned her words over and over in my head.

"I'm still angry that you left, but I don't want to be anymore." Taking a step forward, she picked up my hand and turned it in hers. I shivered when she traced a line on my palm. "You don't have to tell me why you left. It doesn't matter anymore. After being apart, I realized something."

"What?" I whispered as I watched her continue to run her thumb over my palm.

"I never want to be apart from you ever again," she answered. "I'll cut off both of our legs before we could ever run from each other again."

A laugh bubbled through my tears, and Charlotte cracked a small smile. She began to draw me back in towards her, but I pressed a hand against her arm to stop her.

"I don't think we should sleep together anymore," I said, and Charlotte's smile dropped. Despite the crack in my chest, I continued, "You were right. It makes things too complicated."

"I..." Her brows furrowed. "This is what you want?"

It wasn't, but I nodded. My feelings were too strong, and it was best to draw a line in the sand now. It was the only way to salvage our friendship, and like Charlotte, I never wanted to be apart from her ever again.

Charlotte smiled and nodded. "Just friends then." Dropping my hand, she turned to the plate and then eyed the dishes in the sink. "You know you could have just microwaved this."

I shrugged and leaned against the counter as she pulled the plate towards her. "It's better this way. You deserve the best." Her eyes snapped to mine, and I felt my cheeks warmed. Pushing myself off the counter, I tried to salvage the conversation before it got awkward. "I just meant you had a long week with the board meeting and stuff, and --"

She leaned forward, and my breath stopped in my chest. But then Charlotte pressed a kiss against my cheek, and I gripped the counter, willing myself not to collapse right then and there.

Her lips were gone too soon, and she picked up the plate with a content smile. "Thanks. It's perfect."

"You haven't taken a bite," I mumbled.

Charlotte winked. "I already know it's going to be good."

Be still, my heart. But the damn organ was still pounding so hard. All I could do was stare at her, but Charlotte didn't seem to mind as she ate.

Then she snuck a glance at me. "Do you, um, maybe want to go with me to see Maeve one of these days?"

My heart stilled, but not for the reason I wanted it to. Stepping away, I busied myself with the dishes in the sink.

"Jess --"

"How was the board meeting?" I asked instead, hoping she would just drop it.

She didn't. "Maeve misses you."

I didn't respond. I scrubbed hard at the pan, not caring if I ruined it.

Then Charlotte was beside me, and she put a gentle hand on mine, stilling them.

"I won't push," she said quietly. "I just wanted to let you know."

"You mean you wanted to guilt-trip me," I grumbled.

"Are you feeling guilty?"

I didn't answer, and a moment later, she let out a soft laugh. Hearing her laugh again made my insides want to fall out.

"The board meeting was not fun." The somberness in her tone made me turn, and I caught her grimace. "There's going to be a lot of people around the theater for the next couple of weeks."

"Why? Did something happened?"

"They're looking to make some changes," she said and rubbed her face tiredly. "Turn the loss around. It's a lot of investment, and if it doesn't work..." Charlotte shook her head. "I heard talk of voting my dad out."

I frowned. "Can they do something like that? He owns the company, doesn't he?"

"It would be hard and stupid for them to do so if they fail, but it's not impossible if the majority of the board agrees to vote him out." Charlotte let out a sigh. "And it seems like a lot of them are disagreeing with him right now. No one wants to talk to me, though, because they assume I'll be on his side."

"Are you on his side?"

Charlotte chewed on her lip and then shrugged. "I don't know. I don't understand what he's trying to do, and he won't talk to me either. He's always been distant, but it has gotten worse since my mom passed." Shutting off the water, I took her hand in mine, and she forced a smile. "I'm okay."

"You don't have to pretend with me," I said.

Her eyes searched mine for a moment before her face crumpled, and I immediately wrapped my arms around her when she stepped forward into my embrace.

"I missed you," she choked out. "I'm sorry, Jess."

My chest clenched tightly, and I hugged her harder. My tears returned, and I let them fall.

"I missed you too."

------------------

Charlotte spent the night. After catching up and finishing her dinner, she got up to leave when it hit twelve, but I immediately offered her to stay. It was a bad idea, but it didn't feel like it at all. Not when Charlotte's face warmed at the offer, and she looked lighter than she did before.

Now, the sun was starting to rise, and I laid in bed watching her sleep. She was cuddled against my chest, and even through my shirt, I could feel her soft, even breaths warming my skin. I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and my fingers lingered on her cheek.

It was unfair. To be able to hold her like this, to have her pressed against my body comfortably, to know how easily she fell asleep and stayed asleep.

It was unfair to have all of that right here in front of me but not really have her at all. The bitterness swept through me, filling my body with restlessness.

Quietly, I slid out of bed, grabbed some running clothes from the closet, and quickly changed. Before leaving, I glanced back, but Charlotte remained asleep.

The run was exactly what I needed to clear my head. Other than a few cars driving to work, there was barely anyone up at this hour, and it was the quiet that fueled me.

Whenever Charlotte began to creep back into my thoughts, I pushed harder. I kept going even when my lungs started to burn. I ran until I couldn't think anymore, until my legs felt like jelly.

The sun was almost fully up by the time I arrived back at the apartment. I was dripping from sweat, my clothes soaked and clinging to my body.

There was still an hour left before the school bus arrived, and I decided to take a quick shower before I made Noah breakfast.

I stepped into my bedroom, trying to remain quiet, but Charlotte was already awake. She was sitting on the bed, knees pulled to her chest, and her face fixed in deep thought. She looked up when I entered, and I stopped at the doorway.

"How was your run?" she asked.

"Good." I took a small step inside and eyed my closet. "I was gonna go take a shower and then make breakfast. How do you feel about pancakes?"

Charlotte didn't answer, but her gaze remained on me.

I took a step towards her. "Charlotte?"

She jerked. "Huh?"

"Pancakes? For breakfast?"

"I..." She frowned. "Do you want to do something today?"

"Don't you have work?"

"I'll call off," she said. "I haven't seen you in a while, and I want to spend the day with you."

My lips twitched. "It was only five days."

"Longest five days of my life."

This time, I laughed, and she finally smiled.

"You're the one who left," I reminded.

"And I'll never do it again."

I was still smiling as I shook my head. "Fine, we can do something. Can I go shower now?"

"Only if I can join."

Pausing, I shot her a scolding look.

"I was just offering," she teased.

"You're tempting me."

She grinned. "Is it working?"

"Absolutely not."

Charlotte laughed but didn't call me out on the lie. Instead, she slid off the bed, and her footsteps were light as she moved towards me. My heart grew faster.

"Can I pick your outfit for where we're going?" she asked, stopping just a few inches away.

I swallowed tightly as I tried to keep my eyes from dipping. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," she hummed.

"That's not fair."

She shrugged. "Life's not fair, and I'm picking your outfit."

I began to groan in protest, but then she stepped forward and pressed a kiss against my cheek, silencing me completely. I examined her face as she pulled away, but she looked completely normal while I felt like she had taken away all of my breath.

"Go take your shower. I'll leave your clothes on the bed." She nudged me out of the bedroom.

I didn't know how I managed to get myself there and turn on the water, but I ended up taking a long, cold shower. Any effort to erase Charlotte's effect on me during the run was gone now. All I could feel was her lips on my cheek, and the feeling still lingered even after my shower.

Charlotte's chosen outfit for me was neatly folded and set on the end of the bed. It was much simpler than I thought and gave no indication of where we were going. I pulled on the pair of dark jeans, and draped the white button down over the black tank top.

Noah was already up and dressed by the time I made it to his room.

"Charlotte woke me up," he groaned after I was surprised that I didn't have to wake him.

She was in the kitchen, sipping from a cup of coffee, and her face brightened when I entered.

"Made you a cup," she said and slid the second mug across the counter for me. Her eyes ran over my outfit.

"I was hoping this would give me a hint," I said, gesturing to my clothes.

Taking a sip, she smirked over the rim. "Too bad."

"You suck."

Charlotte stuck her tongue out at me, and I laughed at her rare display of childishness.

As promised, I made pancakes for breakfast, and Noah scarfed his down as soon as I set his plate down.

"Slow down," I laughed.

He mumbled a reply through the food, which sounded a lot like, "This is so good."

Charlotte and I were still finishing up as he got up to leave for the bus, but then he turned around. "Charlotte, are you staying again tonight?"

She glanced over at me, and I shrugged.

"It's up to you," I said.

Her eyes remained on my face as she answered, "I'll have to see."

My stomach twisted. She'll have to see? See what?

Noah finally left for the bus, and I opened my mouth to question what exactly she meant by "I'll have to see," but then Charlotte drained the rest of her coffee and got up.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

Deciding to drop it, I nodded.

Maybe she just meant she was busy. She was taking the day off, so she probably wanted to catch up on work during the weekend. The thought of that made me frown.

Charlotte made two stops on the way there. The first place was a small flower shop to grab a bouquet of flowers.

"Are you taking me on a date?" I joked after she came back to the car with the flowers.

Her face was serious as she glanced over at me. "Do you want it to be one?"

I didn't answer, but my heart did.

The second place was the bakery that we had grabbed lunch from a couple of times. She had ordered our go-to sandwiches at the flower shop and went in to pick them up.

"Are we going on a picnic?" I asked when she returned.

Her lips pulled into a subdued smile as she pulled out of the lot. "Sort of."

"You're killing me here."

"You'll never guess where we're going, so you should stop trying."

I didn't stop. As she drove to our final destination, I kept throwing guesses in her direction, but she denied them each time. My guesses grew more outrageous as I ran out of places.

"Feeding alligators?" she laughed. "Are there even any in Savannah?"

"Actually, there are."

The look she gave me afterwards could only be described as pure concern.

Half an hour later, we arrived at a cemetery, and I looked over at Charlotte as soon as I saw the sign. Her expression gave nothing away as she parked the car. Before I could question her, she picked up the bouquet and bag of subs and shot me a small smile.

"Come on," she merely said and opened the door.

I did the same and quickly followed her. Charlotte's steps were slow and measured, and her face was calm, serene almost.

Then we stopped in front of a headstone, and the name confirmed what I had already began to suspect.

Grace Marie Beckett-Simmons.

"My mom grew up here until she went to college and met my dad," Charlotte said. She knelt down on the ground and placed the bouquet neatly in front of the headstone.

I knelt beside her.

"She loved this town, but my dad's company was in Atlanta and her job always took her away." Charlotte's voice grew tight, and I placed a hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Before she passed, she asked us to bury her here. It's where her parents were buried too."

I glanced over at the nearby headstones and found two others next to Grace's with the last names, Beckett.

"Hey, Mom. Jess is here," she said, and I turned back to Grace's headstone.

"Hey, Grace. I'm..." The words grew tight in my throat, and it was Charlotte's turn to squeeze my hand. I swallowed past the lump and pushed on. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for Charlotte, and I'm sorry for leaving. But I'm here now, and I'm not leaving her again."

A small sound came from Charlotte, and I snapped my head around to look at her, my mouth already opening with an apology in case I said something wrong. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes, and they fell when she turned to meet my gaze.

Grasping her shoulders, I shifted my body to face her fully. "Charlotte, what's --"

"I don't think I can be your friend," she sniffled and wiped at her eyes. Still, more tears leaked from them.

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head vigorously. "No, it's not that. It's..." She sucked in a breath and let it out shakily. "Jess, I want to be more. With you."

My hands slipped off her shoulders, and I felt my mouth fall open. No words came out as I just stared at her, my ears ringing.

Charlotte dropped her gaze. "I understand if you don't want anything more. I wouldn't blame you, honestly. I misled you so much, and I hurt you. I know you deserve better, and if you still want to just be friends, then I'll respect your decision. I just wanted you to know my feelings because I don't want to mislead you anymore. I want to be honest with you and myself."

It felt too good to be true. There was no way the universe heard that I wanted something so desperate that it decided to give it to me.

But Charlotte raised her head to look at me with vulnerable, teary eyes. "Jess? Please say something."

Say what?

"I..." My throat felt too raw and tight with emotion. "Can you repeat that?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Which part?"

"I don't know."

Charlotte's fingers trembled as she brought a hand up to brush her hair away from her face. Without thinking, I took her hand in mine, and our eyes found each other again.

"I want to be with you," she said more firmly, but her fingers still trembled in my grasp. "Not friends with benefits and not even just friends. I want to be with you in all the ways that matter."

There was no doubt on her face, not even a sliver of hesitance. Her expression conveyed nothing but surety. The universe wasn't playing a trick on me.

This was serious.

And I hadn't said a damn meaningful thing since she opened up.

"I want to be with you too," I finally said. It wasn't much, but I hoped it was enough because my mind was still trying to catch up and --

Charlotte leaned forward and kissed me. Naturally, I fell into her, my arms slipping around her body to pull her closer, and she hummed against my mouth.

I felt her hand cup my cheek, and her thumb gently stroked my jaw. I deepened our kiss, running my tongue across the seam of her lips, which she immediately parted. My tongue slipped through, meeting hers, and I felt her smile stretch wider.

When we finally gentled to a stop, Charlotte was the first to pull away. She rested her head against mine and sighed softly.

"Sorry, Mom," she murmured. "I was going to do this after we left, but I couldn't resist." She pressed a light kiss against my lips again but pulled back before I could chase her for more. "Jess just has a way with words."

I snorted softly. "I couldn't get a word out after you told me you wanted me."

"But what you said before to my mom, that meant everything to me." Charlotte wrapped her arms around me and tucked her face into the crook of my neck. "You mean everything to me. I realized that after I talked to Maeve. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you ended things."

I pulled away with a frown. "I ended it because I wanted more, but I was afraid you wouldn't."

"It was my fault for making you think that. I tried to ignore my feelings, but it was impossible."

"Yeah, you would suck in a real friends with benefit deal. Olivia didn't even let me shampoo her hair when we showered together."

She laughed. "Okay, it was my first time doing this! I told you I'm not good at sleeping around."

"Oh, sleeping around? Is that what we're calling it?" I teased.

She shoved me playfully. "You know what I meant!"

Laughing, I pulled her back into my arms. "Not to mention, you were very possessive. It was very sexy but not very friend-coded."

"I wanted you to be mine only." Charlotte chewed on her lip as a blush colored her cheeks. "Which, I guess, isn't a friend thing either."

"You guess?"

"Shut up," she muttered and then snuggled into my neck again. I rubbed her back soothingly, and she sighed. "I thought I would be able to go back to being friends, but spending the night with you and waking up without you in bed, it made me realized that my feelings will never go away. I think I've even liked you back then, but I didn't really understand it until now."

So it wasn't me just imagining things. There was something between us back then, but I had been too afraid to pursue anything while she didn't fully understand her feelings yet.

"I really liked you back then," I said. Charlotte pulled away to look at me, her eyes widened in surprise. Smiling sheepishly, I rubbed the back of my neck. "We almost kissed once."

Her face relaxed into a smile, and she nodded. "I remember."

"So..." I leaned forward, letting my gaze dip to her lips, which stretched into a knowing smirk. "Does that make you my girlfriend?"

She tapped her chin. "I don't know. Does it? Isn't there a three date rule thing?"

"Three date rule?"

"Yeah, I learned it from my sorority sisters. You --"

My eyes widened. "You were in a sorority?"

She narrowed hers. "Yeah, and?"

I threw my hands up in defense.

"Anyway." She gave me a warning look, and I bit down on a smile. "You go on three dates, and if there's compatibility, then you start a relationship from there."

I stared at her in disbelief. "You're kidding."

"I'm not. It's a thing, Jess."

"So you want to go on three dates before you decide to be my girlfriend?"

Charlotte laughed and shook her head as she leaned closer. "I don't need three dates to know that."

"So then --"

She silenced me with her lips, and the rest of my questions fell away. Charlotte kissed me deeply, her lips firm as it moved against mine. She twisted her fingers into my button-down and pulled me closer.

"I want to be your girlfriend," she murmured against my mouth before pulling away. Our eyes fluttered open at the same time, and she reached up to run her finger along my bottom lip. "I don't need anything else to confirm that."

I glanced over at Grace's headstone. "Do you think your mom would approve of me?"

Her lips widened. "I don't think she would approve of anyone else but you. She really liked you, you know."

"I really liked her too. I'm sorry you lost her."

Charlotte's expression softened, and she pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad you're here, Jess."

Smiling, I pressed a kiss to her temple. "Thank you for bringing me here."

--------------

Being with Charlotte was as natural as breathing air. Stomachs full and our wrappers tossed back in the bag it came from, we stayed with Grace for a while as we talked. We had been so afraid of complicating everything with our feelings, but as Charlotte laid her head on my lap, toying with my fingers as we talked about nothing and everything, I couldn't think of anything that made this scary.

I no longer felt the pang of fear of her leaving. All I felt in that moment was happiness, and I didn't realize how freeing that was.

When we finally left, our hands remained interlaced throughout the car ride back. I couldn't help but kiss her fingers several times, and she glanced over at me each time, smiling contently.

There was only two hours left before Noah came home from school. We didn't waste any time. As soon as we stepped back into the apartment, she pulled me towards my room and undressed. I watched her toss her clothes onto the floor as I did the same, and when we were both fully unclothed, she nudged me onto the bed and climbed on top.

"I missed you," Charlotte murmured as she kissed down my body. Her hands were soft as she slid it between my breasts and ran it further down my hips before grasping my thighs.

"I missed you too." I ran my fingers through her hair, and she peered up at me through her long lashes. Her lips were pursed against my stomach, and she sucked on it gently as her mouth stretched into a smile.

Then Charlotte's lips descended further, and when I felt her breath hit my sex, my fingers tightened its hold on her hair. Feeling her tongue in me again was better than I had anticipated. I watched her, and her eyes flicked up teasingly just as she traced the outside of my lips with her tongue, drawing it around slowly, lighting up all of my nerves.

I jerked, and she pressed a hand down on my stomach to hold me down.

"Fuck," I gasped. My head fell back on the bed, and Charlotte's breath fanned me as she chuckled.

Then her tongue slid along my slit, not deep but just the tip of her tongue teasing me. Tingles shot through my sex and ran down my legs, and I pushed my hips for more.

"Charlotte, please," I begged. I would get on my knees if she asked me to.

Her finger slid into me instead, pumping slowly as her tongue found my clit easily as if she had it memorized. She knew my body like I knew hers. The knowledge of that shot a thrill through me, and combined with the pleasure, I cried out her name.

In response, she lapped her tongue against my clit, and the sensation set my nerves ablaze. I pushed her head closer, moans leaving my mouth as I begged for release. Charlotte added a second finger and pumped them faster into me.

"I'm close," I panted.

She flicked her tongue against my clit in response, and her hand left my stomach and slid down to my thigh and gripped it. I felt her nails begin to dig into my skin as she pushed my leg further out, opening myself up more to her tongue.

Climax overloaded all of my senses when it came. Her hands were all over my body, holding me as I trembled from the pleasure. I cried for Charlotte and reached out blindly for her. In an instant, her hand filled mine, and I pulled her on top of me and held her against me tightly.

"I've got you, Jess." Her whispers warmed my neck and slowly traveled up to press feather kisses to my face. "I'm here."

Tears slid out of my eyes, and Charlotte kissed them all away. When my body finally calmed and my arms relaxed around her, she still stayed there on top of me. I peeled my eyes open again and was greeted by her soft smile.

"Hey, you." She slicked my hair away from my face and then rested a palm against my cheek.

"Hi," I rasped, pausing, and then, "I think you took my voice away this time."

"Oh yeah?" Pride shone in her eyes. "I guess I'm getting better."

"You're perfect, Charlotte."

"Even though I can't cook?" she teased.

"Even more so," I laughed. "There's nothing more perfect than you being covered in tomato sauce."

"Because it gives you an excuse to take my clothes off?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Shut up, you." She kissed me again before I could retort, but I wasn't complaining. When she pulled away again, her expression softened. "You're perfect too. You've always been perfect to me."

"I'm about to be beyond perfect after I make you cum."

I began to roll us over, but Charlotte planted her hands on my chest and pushed me back down. I looked up at her in surprise.

"I want to try something," she said, blushing.

Smiling, I ran my hands up her thighs soothingly. "What do you want to try?"

"I, um," She shifted on my stomach as she chewed on her lip nervously. "It's better if I show you."

Charlotte slid off of me, and I sat up and leaned against the headboard. I watched patiently as she padded across the floor to her bag and pulled out her phone.

"Tell me if it's weird," she mumbled as she slid back onto the bed and cuddled against me.

"I promise nothing you show me will freak me out." I gave her a kiss to the forehead and wrapped my arm around her comfortably.

Reassured, Charlotte navigated the screen on her phone for a moment, and then turned the phone around for me to see. As expected, she was on a porn site, and I suppressed a grin when I saw 'lesbian face sitting' typed in the search bar.

For a moment, we watched the two girls on the screen, and I felt Charlotte glance at me a couple of times. I kept my face neutral throughout, and when there was only a couple of minutes left, Charlotte turned the video off.

"I know not everything in porn is realistic, so if --"

"Oh, face sitting is very real," I said, and her eyes widened.

"You've done it?"

"I'm surprised you haven't seen it before. Men can do it for women too."

Charlotte's face scrunched up. "I don't like it when they go down on me. Their beards scratch a lot, and it doesn't feel good. It's too rough."

My lips stretched into a grin, and I pressed it against her shoulder, sucking on her skin gently. "Do you want to do it?"

"You want to?" She couldn't hide the excitement from her voice at all, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Of course." I pecked her lips, which were parted in surprise, and then nudged her back on top of me. "Hold onto the headboard, babe. You'll need it."

Charlotte was still staring at me with that open-mouthed expression, but as I began to slide further down under her and my mouth finally landed below her sex, I heard her nails dig into the wooden headboard.

Her outer lips were already slick with her arousal and filled my nose with her scent. I teasingly traced her slit with the tip of my nose, and I heard her let out a soft breath. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her down closer.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Are you?"

"I'm perfect."

Slowly, I traced the full length of her slit with my tongue. Charlotte jerked, but I kept a firm grip on her hips. I slid my tongue further in and rubbed it along the edges. Soft gasps left Charlotte's mouth, and she began to grind down on my face but then abruptly stopped.

"Can you breathe?" she asked worriedly, and I felt her legs tense under my hands as she tried to lift herself up.

I pulled her back down by her hips and withdrew my tongue, laughing, "Charlotte, I'm okay. I promise."

"Are you sure?" Her forehead was still creased with concern as she peered down at me.

"Babe, I have the most beautiful woman sitting on my face and making the sexiest noises while I eat out her delicious pussy. I'm feeling more than perfect right now."

Just like that, deep crimson filled her cheeks, and she dropped her forehead against the headboard.

"I'm ruining it," she groaned.

"You're not. It's natural to be nervous about this."

"Because it's weird?"

"No, not because it's weird, which it definitely isn't," I said, and she pulled her head away from the headboard to meet my gaze again. "It's a new experience for you, so it's going to be a little strange. Trust me, I know weird. But this, babe? This is very normal sex."

Charlotte rubbed her hands down her face and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I want you to talk to me and tell me when you're uncomfortable." Turning my head, I kissed the inside of her thigh, and she lowered her hands to look at me.

"You don't make me uncomfortable at all," she said firmly, her face resolute and serious. "I feel the most comfortable when I'm with you."

"Good. I'm glad." Smiling, I kissed her thigh again. "So can I continue eating your delicious pussy?"

Charlotte bursted out laughing as she blushed again, but then she grabbed the headboard and nodded. "Okay, fine, fine."

"Perfect," I said before I slipped my tongue inside her again.

This time, Charlotte let herself enjoy it, and it didn't take long for her juices to rapidly flow into my mouth as her arousal grew. She rocked her hips, tightening her grip on the headboard for leverage as she rode my tongue. I fucked her steadily, extending and curling my tongue inside of her and flicking the tip against her swollen clit each time.

"I'm so close, Jess," she cried out as she moved her hips faster. I curled my fingers into her ass but kept my rhythm.

Then she flooded my mouth and screamed out in ecstasy. I continued to lick her gently, guiding her all the way through her climax.

But just as she began to slow down, she threw her head back and whimpered, "I'm cumming again. Jess, oh!"

Charlotte let go of the headboard, leaned back, and planted her hands on my thighs. She gripped them tightly and rode my face harder. I hummed against her sex, and she screamed my name as her body tightened up again.

I slowed and began to suck on her gently as she trembled on top of me. When it finally became too much, Charlotte slid off my face and collapsed beside me. Turning over, I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer.

"You were beautiful," I murmured and planted tiny kisses around the side of her neck. "So beautiful."

The corner of her lips twitched, and she draped an arm across her face. "Hey, Jess?"

"Hm?"

"I don't think I like men."

My lips paused against her neck and slowly drew into a smile. "No?"

She slowly shook her head and then turned it, and I tilted mine up to meet her beautiful eyes. There wasn't even a sliver of doubt in them at all.

"I wasn't sure before, but I'm actually pretty positive now," she said.

"I guess I am that good."

Rolling her eyes, she smiled and leaned in to kiss me softly. "Are you tired, yet?"

"Hell no." I rolled on top of her and attacked her face with kisses.

Charlotte threw her head back and giggled. The sound of her happiness radiated pure light, and I felt it take root inside of me.

---------------

If I had known just how good being with Charlotte made me feel, I would have poured out my feelings for her a long time ago.

Over two months passed by, and she still made my stomach flutter and my heart race. The difference now was that I could pull her in and kiss her to settle the flutters and races. I could touch her without the fear of ruining anything between us.

More than anything, Charlotte made me happy. I was writing more. Inspirations flowed through me endlessly, and I even had to get a new journal after the first one filled up. I met with the girls more often to work on the new songs, and even though Charlotte was curious, I didn't want her to listen to them yet until they were perfect.

There was one song that I was stuck on. The melody was there with some of the lines for verses and choruses written, but something was off about it. I had been working on it for over two weeks with no success.

Usually, Laura was my partner in writing the lyrics, but she had been strange ever since returning from New York. She had been acting more distant, quieter even. Whenever one of the girls or I tried to ask her about it, she just brushed us off and plastered on a grin. I knew it was better to give her space than to push, but if this continued any longer, I was going to have to start pushing.

Like Charlotte mentioned, changes were happening at the movie theater. The prices had gone up slightly, which brought a lot of complaints, and the policies were stricter. Still, there were some good changes coming. The kitchen was getting renovated, and we had been testing new menu items as they arrived. An IMAX theater was going to be installed in the next couple of months, which they hoped was going to bring in more revenue. Charlotte had been spending more time at work, sometimes late into the night. Noah and I came to eat dinner with her at the office whenever we could, and sometimes she would head home with us. Sometimes she stayed longer, but the apartment was always open to her whenever she wanted to come.

Charlotte came over last night after work as she did most nights, and even though it was late, we both couldn't sleep. We had spent the majority of the night kissing and competing at who can make the other cum the most. Last night, I had won after her exhaustion finally caught up to her, and she finally fell asleep in my arms.

Despite the late night, I managed to get up early enough to run. It was going to be a long day of work since there were some people from Atlanta coming to check on the theater. I needed to clear my mind before the hectic day.

On this morning, the sky was a soft pink as the sun started to come up for the day. Struck by the blend of pink, yellow, and orange, I stopped along the river to stare at the sunrise. The water gently lapped at the walls, and as I stared down at it, I thought of Charlotte rescuing me from the water that night at the party. She didn't even hesitate. She just leapt in as soon as she saw me fall in.

A feeling slowly began to unravel in my chest and slithered lower to fill my stomach with warmth. I gripped the railings and raised my gaze back up to the sky. I wished Charlotte was here to see this. She would want to take a picture. I pulled my phone out to do just that, so that I could show it to her when she woke up. Just as I snapped the photo, a thought crossed my mind, and I quickly pulled up the voice app and pressed record.

"Something, something, something home," I mumbled, trying to reel the words back. "The place we called home, no. The sky... sky paints my way -- fuck, uh... the sky paints the memories of our home?"

Pacing now, I shook my head. "No, that's not right. The sky paints a picture of our home." I stopped. "Encompassing all no matter how far we roam. As long as the stars and clouds hang... I'll find my way back to you."

I hit the stop button and turned back home, running the fastest I ever did in my life. Lyrics filled my head as I ran, and I hit the record button again to shout them into my phone. I probably looked like a crazy woman, but I didn't care. The song was coming together, and I wasn't going to let it slip away.

Charlotte was still asleep when I bursted into the room, and I had to swallow several times to try to get my breath back down under control. Grabbing my journal and Maeve's guitar, I plopped down on the ground beside the bed and put the jumbled lyrics to work.

Half an hour later, it was all starting to come together, and I recorded it all on my phone to send to the girls. Setting my guitar to the side, I leaned back against the bed, and Charlotte's breath filled my ear. My heart nearly exploded in surprise, and I turned to see her smiling sleepily at me.

"When did you get up?" I asked.

"A while ago." She eyed the guitar. "You made progress on the song?"

"How much did you hear?"

She smiled slyly. "Enough to know that I love it."

"It's not finished yet."

"I know."

"So you might not like the --"

"It'll be perfect, Jess." She grabbed me by my shirt and began to lean down.

I pulled back, and she paused. "I'm covered in sweat."

Her smile widened. "That's even more perfect. Come here."

Tossing the journal to the side, I climbed onto the bed. She pulled me between her legs and pushed my shorts and underwear down with her feet.

"I like it when you get all sweaty for me," she murmured against my ear and then nibbled on it.

Laughing, I gripped her hips tightly, and slid myself over her thigh. "You're so full of yourself."

"Oh, shush. You love it."

"I do." Burying my face in her neck, I sucked on it as I gently slid myself along her thigh.

Charlotte's hands slipped around to rest on my lower back, rubbing. "I can't wait to hear the song."

"You'll be the first person I show it to." My lips paused on her neck, hesitating, but I swallowed past it and quietly added, "The song is about you."

Her hands stopped moving, and I pulled back to look at her. Emotions swelled up in her eyes, and she pulled me down on top of her and wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"I love you," she whispered.

My heart stuttered. I tried to look at her, but she held me firm, her breath warm against my ear.

"I love you so much, Jess," she continued, her voice tight with emotion. "You, Noah, Nox. I love all of you, and I wake up everyday and think what a privilege it is to have you all in my life."

Tears sprung to my eyes for all of the right reasons, and I turned my face and sought her lips with mine. Feeling flooded my body the moment I found it, and I tasted her salty tears. It made me kiss her harder.

"I love you too," I murmured, pulling away. "I love you in the most otherworldly, encompassing way. There's no other way to describe it. You bring so much light into my life. For Noah and Nox too. I love you, Charlotte."

She squeezed her eyes shut as more tears slid out of them and choked out, "Damn it, you win. You and your beautiful words."

Laughing, I kissed her again.

------------

After some more holding and lovemaking, Charlotte and I finally rolled out of bed to get ready for the day. Knowing that we would never leave the house if we shared a shower, I took mine first after rousing Noah awake.

Charlotte was pacing the room while on a work phone call when I stepped back into the bedroom, and her eyes landed on me and lowered. She was quickly pulled back to the phone call and fired off a reply, but deciding that I hadn't received enough attention, I unwrapped the towel and dropped it at my feet.

At the sound of the towel dropping, she spun back in my direction and stopped pacing. Her lips parted as her heated gaze roamed every inch of my body, sending a shiver through me.

Smirking, I brushed past her on my way to the closet, but Charlotte slipped her arm around my waist and spun me around to face her again. I started to grin just as her lips closed over mine. Her lips were rough, sucking on mine hungrily and fast, sending my mind reeling. I couldn't catch my breath quick enough, and before I could even try, she pulled away. Replying to the person on the phone, her eyes did a quick sweep over my face, and then her lips lifted into a satisfied smirk.

I knew my cheeks were pink with how warm they felt, and as I turned to the closet, I felt her palm tap my ass. I spun back around, eyes widening, but Charlotte was already walking towards the bathroom and gave me a wink over her shoulder before closing the door.

"I'll get you back," I muttered to myself.

Once I was dressed, I went to go make breakfast. Noah sat at the counter, slowly drinking the milk I always made him drink for breakfast while I scrambled his eggs.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Noah?" I slid the eggs onto his plate, which already had two slices of toasts on them.

"Are you going to marry Charlotte?"

I nearly dropped the pan, and my eyes shot up to him. Noah sat there, blinking at me calmly as he waited for a response, but my heart was pounding.

"Did, uh, why?" I stammered.

Smooth, Silva. Very smooth.

Noah shrugged. "I don't know. I was just asking."

There was something softer in his tone that steadied me. I set the pan down, turned off the stove, and walked over to him.

I took the seat beside him and answered, "It's too soon for her and I to think of marriage. That usually happens later."

He looked at me. "How much later?"

I raised a brow, but he remained undeterred, waiting for a response.

"A lot later, sweetie."

His shoulders dropped defeatedly, and I caught disappointment crossing his face as he looked away again.

Surprised by his response, I asked, "Do you want Charlotte and I to get married?"

Slowly, he nodded.

"Is there a reason?" I asked gently.

He shrugged again but didn't give a reply right away. As I sat there, trying to think of what else to say, Noah finally spoke again.

"Dylan said there's a contract after you get married, and it makes it hard for people to leave each other."

I choked on my saliva and coughed violently. Noah turned to me worriedly, but I waved off his concerned expression with a hand.

"Hun, that --" Another cough interrupted me. "Noah, what?"

His brows furrowed in confusion. "That's why it was hard for his parents to divorce, right?"

"Well, sure. But it's a lot more complicated than that, honey. It..." Realization dawned on me, and I swallowed hard. "Noah, are you afraid of Charlotte and I breaking up?"

He looked down at his half-drunken milk, which confirmed what I suspected.

"You and Laura didn't marry and then broke up," he mumbled.

The idea of Laura settling down and marrying was so comical that I would have laughed if it wasn't for the seriousness on Noah's face.

"Laura and I wouldn't have lasted even if we got married," I said, and he frowned. "Marriage is nice, but it doesn't always mean forever. And that's absolutely okay. At the end of the day, it depends on you and your partner. Dylan's parents married, but overtime, they saw that they weren't happy anymore."

His face relaxed in understanding, and he nodded. "Because his mom was bad."

I grimaced. "I wouldn't say she was bad. She just... lets just say she wasn't a perfect fit for Mr. Wilson."

"But you and Charlotte are a perfect fit, right?" Hope filled his face, lighting his eyes.

Thinking of Charlotte's love confession earlier, I smiled. "Yeah, I think so."

His lips stretched into a wide grin, and I ruffled his hair with a laugh. Noah didn't complain, and he even picked up his glass to drink more of the milk. I began to slide out of my seat when he paused drinking to look at me again.

"You should still marry her, though," he added. "So then she has to lose a lot of money if she wants to leave us."

A laugh bursted out of my mouth, and I clapped a hand over it and tried to glare at him. "Noah!"

His eyes widened. "Dylan said his dad lost a lot of money in the divorce! They even lost the house."

I groaned. Kids shared way too much.

"Honey, we like Charlotte, right?"

He nodded slowly.

"So if we like Charlotte, then hurting her would be bad, right?"

He nodded again.

"And if she decides to leave us, we still wouldn't want her to hurt, right? We would want her to be happy?"

Understanding filled his expression, along with guilt. Noah dropped his head but nodded. I pulled him into an embrace, and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Sometimes loving someone means letting them go even if you don't want to," I explained gently. "If you love someone, you should never hurt them no matter how much you're hurting. Does that make sense?"

I felt Noah nod, and then he sighed, "You're a good person, Mom."

"You are too." I kissed the top of his head and then pulled away to playfully glare at him. "And way too clever for your own good."

His face brightened up again as he grinned cheekily.

By the time Noah finished breakfast and left for the bus, Charlotte still hadn't come out, which was unusual. Her phone calls never took that long. I poured her a cup of coffee and carried it with me to the bedroom.

Charlotte was already dressed and leaning against the dresser when I entered. Her back was to me, and she had her head in one hand.

I slowed. "Hey, are you okay?"

She didn't move, and as I got closer, I could hear her breathing. They were too quick and short, and her shoulders were too tense.

"Charlotte?" I put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she jumped before spinning around.

"Jess?" she asked breathily, and a pang shot through my chest when I saw her eyes glistening.

I set the cup on the dresser and cupped her face. "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Jess, I..." She blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes vigorously. Her tears fell, and I stroked them away with my fingers. When she opened her eyes again, she settled them on my face, and relief filled them. She collapsed against me, and cried into my chest.

"Charlotte, what happened?" I asked as fear chipped at me piece by piece.

She shook her head.

"Babe, please talk to me," I pleaded softly.

Charlotte pulled away and wiped at her eyes, but finally, she answered, "It just hit me hard how much I love you."

Still frowning, I searched her face, but then her lips began to itch towards a smile, and my fear fell away.

"That's it?" I breathed out in relief. "You're crying because you love me?"

"I'm crying because I love you so much I can't breathe," she corrected.

With that response, I pulled her back into my chest and let out a trembling breath. "God, you scared me for a second there."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Never ever do that again."

"Okay." Her arms wrapped around me tightly.

"I love you," I said. "You make it hard for me to breathe too. You're actually cutting off my airflow here."

She laughed softly, and her arms grew tighter. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

---------------

Not only was an IMAX screen being planned to be placed in our largest auditorium, but all three-hundred-and-eighty seats were getting swapped out as well. I was prepared for the shipment when I came in, but I was not prepared for how heavy the damn boxes were going to be.

Charlotte had walked past with the people from Atlanta, glanced at my rolled-up sleeves and sweaty face, and slid a sly smirk my way.

Cheeky woman.

"Jess, I definitely don't get paid enough for this," Jackson, one of the floor staffers, said as he stacked a box on top of the flatbed.

Grimacing, I nodded. "You definitely don't. I'm sorry."

He shrugged.

Down the hall, Katie strode down our way, her blazer tossed over her shoulder.

"Schedule's done, and I'm free for the next hour." She leveled her gaze with mine. "What can I do?"

The relief that filled our faces made her laugh.

It was way over my scheduled time when I finally clocked off. Sadie had offer to pick up Noah and was watching him at home after I realized I wasn't going to be able to get off on time.

My arms felt like noodles, and I was shaking with hunger by the time I left. Charlotte's car was still in the lot, and I knew it was going to be another late night for her. I decided to grab her something and drop it off before heading home.

When I returned with some Chinese food from the spot I knew she loved, the parking lot had filled up with the weekend night crowd. It took a while to find a spot, which was some distance away from the entrance.

Just as I reached for the door, it opened, and I stumbled back in surprise. I nearly dropped the bag of food but fixed my grip on it and looked up again only to freeze.

Because standing in front of me was Vanessa Kline, Olivia's bitch of a mother. It had been months since I had the misfortune of meeting her, and a cold feeling slithered around me when her lips peeled wide into a smile that emitted everything that was the opposite of genuine.

"Jess, it's a small world, isn't it? Bumping into you here?"

Her two bodyguards stood stoically behind her, burning their gazes into me.

"I work here," I replied dryly.

"Do you?" She glanced back at the building, her lips edging into a smirk.

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

She lifted a brow. "This is a movie theater, yes?"

"I highly doubt you came to see a movie."

Vanessa laughed, but there was no humor nor bite to it. It was just empty, which sent a chill through my body. Then she took a step forward, and I resisted the urge to back up. She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with something that made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Do you think the world owes you something, Jess?" she asked.

I swallowed, resisting every temptation to look away from her cold gaze. "What do you mean?"

"It's just interesting to me how you surround yourself with people who have everything you don't. You've always reached too high for a spot where you don't belong," She took another step forward, and this time, I couldn't help but step back. Especially when her words slithered into my chest and gripped me tightly. "I think you need to be reminded of where you actually belong."

My hands tightened into fists as rage filled my chest, and my ears began to ring. I stepped towards her, and her bodyguards did as well. Governor or not, I didn't give a damn.

She had no right. Absolutely no right to say a damn thing.

Vanessa's face relaxed into an empty smile again, and she turned away. "Tell Charlotte I said to think about what I said, okay?"

I stiffened. "What did you say to her?"

She didn't so much as glance my way again as she walked away. Her bodyguards followed her. For a while, I stared at them even after they were long gone. Mixed emotions swirled inside of me, but when the doors opened, letting out chatters and a large group, I finally moved.

The theater was packed inside, and I navigated the crowd as I moved through the lobby and down the hallway. Her door was unlocked as I knew it was, and I gave it a quick knock before pushing it open.

There was the sound of a drawer slamming shut, and as I stepped inside, Charlotte abruptly stood up from behind her desk. I quickly dropped the bag of food on a table and moved towards her when she stumbled forward and caught herself against the desk.

"Charlotte, are you okay?" I asked worriedly, grabbing ahold of her as she swayed.

"I'm fine," she rasped and then cleared her throat before repeating it, but I didn't believe her at all. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and her breaths were ragged as they left her mouth. She had her eyes squeezed shut, and more tears flowed from them.

"You're not okay." My voice shook as I scanned her face, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Something's wrong. Did Vanessa do something?"

Charlotte's eyes parted to meet mine, and her lips trembled. "Jess."

I stepped closer and cupped her cheeks. "I'm here."

She let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes again. Fear wrapped around me like a tight rope, choking me out. Whatever Vanessa did or said to her, I would make her pay for hurting Charlotte.

"I think I'm losing my vision again."

My body grew still. Vanessa left my mind entirely.

Wordlessly, I stared at the love of my life, watching fear take over her expression and wishing more than anything I could take it all away, wishing that she could stop suffering.

"I didn't think it was anything serious at first." Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes, but it was useless. There was so much tears. It was endless. "It started with some pain. They never lasted long enough, so I thought it was just eye soreness from sleeping late. Then my vision went out this morning."

I thought about her breakdown in my bedroom this morning and how scared she had looked. My chest squeezed tightly, and I felt my own tears slide down my cheeks.

"Jess, I'm scared," she whispered, and I immediately pulled her in. Charlotte sobbed into my chest, and clutched onto me tightly. I pressed my face into her hair, crying silently along.

"We'll go to an appointment first thing tomorrow," I choked out. "I'll be there with you every step of the way, Charlotte. I love you, okay? I love you so much."

Crying harder, her knees gave up on her, and I guided her down to the floor.

She was going to be okay, and even if she lost her vision, I'll be there every moment of every day to remind her that she was loved.

Charlotte was going to be okay. As she continued to cry in my arms, I kept trying to reassure myself of that, but still, my heart was ripping at the seams all the same.